Global Weirding - blackberry and apple pie in July

[Nature's Babe]

As global warming becomes global weirding, and change becomes the norm.
It used to happen in September, but we're picking wild blackberries already down here, so they are vey early this year.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/ju ... ghts-fires

[Parsons Jack]

We picked some in Tenterden today whilst walking the dog
Loads of them there. People don't seem to bother these days do they.

[Nature's Babe]

No they don't, there are half a dozen pots of blackberry and apple jam in the pantry today

[alan refail]

I'm always wary of an article which begins with an untruth!

Drought zones have been declared across much of England and Wales

Not so. A Guardian journalist at a loose end methinks!

[Nature's Babe]

Maybe not in your area Alan but drought was quite extensive in some areas, scroll down to the map. Until the recent rains it was quite serious for the farmers, the weather is brightening again now, hopefully they will get the wheat and oats etc harvested safely.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... ht-warning

[alan refail]

Drought was not declared "across much of England and Wales"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/interactiv ... intcmp=239

[Nature's Babe]

Funny how you argue to suit your own world view Alan, as on the links you posted on the GM potato thread it mentions drought and farmers having to irrigate crops and spray early to avoid blight, here just for the sake of arguing you choose to pretend drought never happened. It may not have been officilly declared but it was suffered before the recent rains,in several areas, mine included. To quote the GM article that you posted ....

This year, UK farmers have had to irrigate to protect their crops against drought. Irrigation combined with warm weather helps create a perfect environment for blight, so farmers have had to spray their potato crops early to protect against it.

[Johnboy]

Hi NB,
It is true that we have had a very dry Spring but Alan is trying to tell you the truth but you somehow are reluctant to accept what he has shown you.
It is a fact that looking at the chart in the thread that Alan posted your area is only moderately affected and you live a long way from the most affected area.
Irrigation is commonplace in farming and the fact that the farmers have had to irrigate quite early this year is all part and parcel of farming and is all part of producing food and to be able to interpret the needs of your crop at any given time which is the art of farming.
A little way up stream from here the local river ceased to flow and the rivers authority had to very quickly removed the fish. The media made a song and dance about it and were spreading the usual doom and gloom but the truth is that in the 30 odd years I have lived here this has happened several times and on a much larger scale and the last time it happened the fish were not removed by the rivers authority and we were left with Herons that couldn't fly for about three weeks because of the weight fish they had consumed. The truth of the matter is that the river at that point flows over a large and deep belt of gravel and if you dug into the gravel by about 3" the water was flowing. As the river progresses and the river has dropped a few feet in elevation the river it was flowing again. The local water supply comes from that river and is from boreholes that are 120ft into the river basin and there has been no shortage of water for consumption.
As it happens hereabouts we have had a wonderful year for cereals and have had the rain right at the right time including the Spring. All we need now is the right weather for the harvest.
JB.

[Nature's Babe]

How amazing Johnboy that from hertfordshire you can know exactly what is happening here locally!

[Johnboy]

Hi NB,
A kindly reminder the I live in Herefordshire and not Hertfordshire.
I am only going by the charts supplied on Alan's posting and I come under the same category as you. My vegetable plot has not been irrigated at all this year but consider that I should have given my Parsnips a drink although they are growing very well without it but will only be a slight bit smaller than last year and the year before.
JB.

[alan refail]

How amazing Johnboy that from hertfordshire you can know exactly what is happening here locally!

No great feat! I recall that you could do it for Egypt

viewtopic.php?p=95480#p95480

[Nature's Babe]

We seem to have our own micro climate here, often they forecast rain for the south east and it fails to materialise, though we can see rainclouds all around us on the horizon, it's sunshine above, we are surrounded by hills.

[Parsons Jack]

Quite right NB. Often I can see a bank of rain clouds over Ashford or Folkestone direction, but it usually misses us completely.
Apart from some rain last week, it has been very dry here all year. Lots of watering going on all the time down here on the plots.
You probably have to live here to understand just how different it is to the rest of the south east

[Nature's Babe]

Thank you for confirming that PJ, truth will out

[Johnboy]

Hi NB,
I still fall into the same category as you and hereabouts because of the hills it can rain all day just 1.5 miles away and here we will get no rain at all but that is typically British weather and nothing to do with a drought or global warming.
Traditionally the south coast, where you and PJ live, have been boasting for many years that you get more sunshine than we do up here and really there is your answer.
Because this year there is a drought condition about, your area is really bound to be the first to suffer. You cannot have record amounts of sunshine and then complain that because of the sunshine you are so hard done by when you have no rain. It is simply a fact of life!
Nobody has suggested that mulching would not help in this situation so I really cannot see your argument.
JB.